YouthBeatz 2024 - Acts Announced

Youth Beatz Festival is once again back for 2024, and this year promises to be bigger and better than ever before. Youth Beatz takes place over a 9-day period, with the Youth Beatz Fringe taking place across every Ward area of Dumfries and Galloway, and the two main event days on Saturday 29^th and Sunday 30^th June at Park Farm, Dumfries.

The main event days will be attended by 20,000 people per day, and Youth Beatz 2024 will continue to deliver a wide range of fun activities, musical performances from local and emerging young talent from across Dumfries and Galloway, as well as welcoming the following headline acts:

Headliners on Saturday 29 June will be:

Jonas Blue – multi platinum award winning DJ Jonas Blue has had a string of hits alongside some of the most recognisable voices in Music, including Raye, Becky Hill and Rita Ora.

Jonas Blue said – “I cannot wait to get on stage at Youth Beatz, I have heard how much energy the crowd at Youth Beatz has and I always love playing in Scotland! See you all in June!”

Alice Deejay – Alice Deejay have sold over 5 million singles worldwide with hit singles ‘Better off Alone’ and ‘Back in my Life’ being the soundtrack of Summer for millions of fans all over the world.

Talia Mar – with over 4 million online followers, Talia Mar is taking the world by storm. Her collaboration with Sigala ‘Stay the Night’ reached the top 10 in the UK, and performances at some of the biggest arenas in the country mean Talia will continue to rise all the way to the top.

Sunday 30 June will be headlined by:

Sigala – DJ and producer Sigala has produced eight UK top ten hits, including the number one single “Easy Love,” On his debut album, Brighter Days, Sigala enlisted 24 star guests, including Kylie Minogue, Nile Rodgers, Craig David and many more. Sigala’s latest single, released in May 2022, is a collaboration with Talia Mar called “Stay The Night.”

Sigala said – “I have always wanted to come back to play in Dumfries and can’t wait to see everyone, the fans in Scotland are unbelievable, and you always make sure you bring the party!”

Cascada – Dancefloor fillers and good vibes whenever Cascada are around. With a string of dancefloor anthems Cascada will definitely bring the party! With more than 30 million album sales worldwide!

Saint Phnx – Despite being only a duo, Saint Phnx have shown they have the ability to create a vast stadium-rock sound thanks to their soaring hooks and anthemic style of writing, topped by Stevie Jukes’ impressive vocals. With more than 150 million worldwide streams, Saint Phnx are fast becoming the Pride of the Scottish Music scene.

As well as featuring well-known UK headliners, Youth Beatz Festival is proud to have local performers taking their place on the Main Stage programme for this year’s event, with a wide range of acts from across Dumfries and Galloway.

Chair of Dumfries and Galloway Council’s Communities Committee, Councillor Ian Blake said:

“Our Council is once again delighted to continue with our support for this fantastic community event. Youth Beatz provides young people from across our region with a fantastic Festival experience in their local area, as well as valuable experiences through volunteering opportunities such as performing in the immersive youth led drama production The Toon, and participation in the annual Gold Duke of Edinburgh’s Award residential. I am once again looking forward to welcoming young people from across Dumfries and Galloway and the rest of Scotland through the gates at Park Farm on Saturday 29^th and Sunday 30^th June.”

The Toon will continue to expand for 2024, with the hard-hitting interactive drama production gearing up for another year as one of the Festival’s biggest features. The Toon is designed and delivered by local young people from across Dumfries and Galloway and provides young people attending Youth Beatz with informative and accurate information and advice when dealing with issues that commonly affect their lives. The issues displayed in the production are chosen by the young people, and include poverty, sectarianism, drugs and alcohol, and sexual health to name a few.

The Youth Work Area will also be back for this year’s Festival and will contain some old favourites such as creative arts and crafts activities, a youth information zone, chill out areas and the opportunity to win meet and greet tickets to see your favourite headliners through exciting competitions.

As well as the Main Stage, Youth Beatz 2024 will have an additional two stages. The Second Stage will be dedicated to up-and-coming singers and musicians from across our region. The Second Stage is once again being programmed in partnership with Dumfries Music Collective. DMC is a platform for the music industry in Dumfries and Galloway, and they run a programme of music education and events throughout the year. DMC aims to educate a wide range of audiences, and to encourage them to understand, celebrate, participate in and be supportive of the local contemporary music community. The work of DMC ties in with the ethos of Youth Beatz Festival, and we are delighted to have them on board for 2024 after the huge success of their Second Stage in 2023.

The Dance Stage will provide entertainment from dance groups coming from the length and breadth of Dumfries and Galloway who will be bringing their performances to Youth Beatz 2024. The line up includes dance groups and cheerleading squads from Stranraer, Newton Stewart, Dumfries and Lockerbie.

Festival organisers are working with partners to ensure that Youth Beatz 2024 is as inclusive and accessible as possible, with a working group recently established in order to ensure that the event is fully accessible and equipped to cater to the needs of everyone who wishes to attend. If you are interested in the work of this group, or feel that you may have a contribution, please use the contact details below to get in touch.

The main Youth Beatz days will end a 7-day Fringe Festival which will see a number of fun community-based events taking place across every Ward area, providing towns and villages the length and breadth of Dumfries and Galloway with events for young people. The events will be developed and delivered in partnership with various community groups and organisations, and they will provide a series of fun activities and experiences.

Vice-Chair of Dumfries and Galloway Council’s Communities Committee, Councillor Jackie McCamon said:

“Youth Beatz is more than just a music festival, as it continues to inspire young people to take a more active role in their community through various volunteering initiatives, allowing young people to feel a sense of ownership over the festival. The wide range of exciting activities that are available on the main event days and during the Fringe Festival support our young people to broaden their horizons, try new things and get a wide range of information on issues that affect their lives and the Services that are available to them across Dumfries and Galloway.”

The award-winning event is managed through a partnership led by Dumfries and Galloway Council’s Youth Work Service, in conjunction with the Oasis Events Team. Formed in 2010, the Oasis Events Team have undergone a great deal of training and events experience and now work in close partnership with Dumfries and Galloway Council to co-design large scale events, such as Youth Beatz.

Youth Beatz Festival is grateful to be supported by a number of funders for this year’s event, including Young Start, Awards for All, EventScotland (part of VisitScotland’s Events Directorate), Alcohol and Drug Partnership and Dumfries and Galloway Council.

Paul Bush OBE, VisitScotland Director of Events, said:

“EventScotland is proud to be supporting Youth Beatz Festival through our National Events Programme. The Festival is not just a music event, it’s a vibrant celebration and showcase of youth culture, creativity and community spirit. Events play an important role in our community and Youth Beatz provides the perfect stage for celebrating the diversity, talent and endless potential of young people from across Dumfries and Galloway and the rest of Scotland.”

Co-design is still an important aspect of Youth Beatz in terms of the Festival’s design. Events Groups in Moffat and Newton Stewart help to ensure that young people from both sides of our region can help to shape this year’s Festival by helping to design certain elements and ensure that the Festival is meeting the needs and wants of young people from across Dumfries and Galloway.

Shaynie McMurray, young volunteer from the Newton Stewart Events Group, who has been involved in the co-design of the event said:

“We are really happy that Youth Beatz is back for 2024 and we are looking forward to once again working with staff from the event and partners to ensure that the voices of young people from across the region are heard, and that this event reflects the needs and wants of young people from across Dumfries and Galloway.”

Youth Beatz 2024 is a free festival, and tickets are available now from the official Youth Beatz website – www.youthbeatz.co.uk